Easy Reader – Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day

Wagner is not having a good day. First he is late for school, then it turns out to be April Fool’s Day. Everyone else thinks the pranks are hilarious, but gullible Wagner isn’t laughing. His day gets worse when Pearl doesn’t want to be his partner in gym. When Wagner gets sent to the nurse’s office, he comes back with bright green dots all over his body, making the rest of the class very nervous. But Wagner gets to have the last laugh in this early reader.

This book is a Dial Easy-to-Read Level 2 book intended to be a “reading together” book. There are four to six sentences on each page and illustrations on each page. Contractions and dialogue are both used. The story is both cute and plausible.

The illustrations, done in pen, ink, watercolor and colored pencils, are pleasing and amusing. Some pictures have backgrounds, but many are displayed against a white backdrop. The body language of the animals is very clear, and the expressions on their faces are priceless. This book will be an excellent choice for more confident beginning readers, whether or not the month is April.